Lysander, B’ville hold joint public hearing on park annexation

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

The Lysander Town Board and the Baldwinsville Village Board of Trustees came together Aug. 9 to hear residents’ input on the possible annexation of Lysander Town Park into the village of Baldwinsville. Last year, Lysander officials floated the idea of annexation in relation to the proposed spray park so the park could tie into the village sewer system and fall under the jurisdiction of the Baldwinsville Police Department.

Chief among the concerns residents expressed last Thursday were the possibility of increased police costs and the proposed spray park.

One question, though, kept coming up: What’s in it for the village of Baldwinsville?

“I don’t know if there’s anything in it for the village tonight,” Baldwinsville Deputy Mayor Bruce Stebbins said. “But I think we have to think about the future. That’s our charge. Adding a significant green space, the park, to the village increases our prestige, increases our desirability … for people who may consider this as a place to live.”

Louise Corrigan, an Edgewood Drive resident who works as a clerk for the village department of public works, said she was opposed to the annexation because the park would add to village taxes without bringing in revenue for the village.

“It’s a non-tax-paying piece of property that we’re going to be paying to provide services for,” she said.

Mary Hendel, of Division Street, agreed with Corrigan that village residents’ taxes would be negatively affected.

Baldwinsville Trustee Andy Dryden said the village would incur immediate costs related to mapping the new boundaries, but police protection is the more costly issue.

“I think if the park is annexed, the police protection cost is going to increase substantially,” Dryden said. “We have an understaffed current police force that we’re trying to fix. Budget concerns are great.”

Dryden said the spray park won’t “live or die based on the annexation,” and that the project could proceed without Lysander Town Park becoming part of the village.

Other than the cost of police protection, Lysander Supervisor Joe Saraceni and Baldwinsville Mayor Dick Clarke said expenses would largely go unchanged. The town would still be in charge of plowing snow and other park maintenance.

“They’re just like another tenant in the village,” Clarke said. “Overall, we would have no more responsibility with that park than we do now.”

Clarke likened the situation to the town of Lysander’s former office on Lock Street or its former highway barn on Elizabeth Street.

“We didn’t have any control over how many lights they had on or how much water they ran,” Clarke said of the former town office.

Residents also expressed concerns about the spray park’s use of water.

“What is it going to do to our well if the spray park is put in?” asked resident Mary Hendel.

Lysander Town Engineer Al Yager said the spray park’s maximum water flow — if all features were running all at once — would be 140 gallons per minute. This would only increase runoff by about 1 percent, he said.

Hendel asked if the spray park would pose a flood risk when there is rain.

“During storm events, typically fixtures like this are not in use,” Yager said.

Yager noted the spray park fixtures would not run continuously. They are activated when a parkgoer presses a button and will shut off after a time.

Lysander Town Supervisor Joe Saraceni said the spray park would not rely on the village water system but on OCWA (Onondaga County Water Authority).

“The spray park is going to have its own separate water meter, and that water that goes off the [concrete] pad will not go into the village sewer,” Saraceni said. “The county, understandably, doesn’t like fresh water going into its sewer system.”

Lysander Deputy Supervisor Bob Geraci also noted that the state Department of Environmental Conservation must sign off on stormwater and runoff management plans.

Michael Foster, a resident of Carousel Lane, said he was in favor of annexing the park to provide police protection and to encourage the use of the spray park. He said the Ohio town where his daughter lives has a similar facility and has hosted community events.

“It’s a magnet. It brings people together,” Foster said.

Clarke encouraged residents to submit questions and comments to the village and the town.

“We really would like to be able to answer questions soundly before we make a decision,” he said.